[00:01.108]As royal residences go,
[00:03.108]Buckingham Palace is something of a newcomer.
[00:06.863]The staterooms are less than 200 years old.
[00:11.052]Yet its history is much older and more dramatic than you might think.
[00:20.258]Its rooms are filled with objects that are clues to the character of Kings and Queens past.
[00:32.283]And the art and architecture combine to make a statement about Britain's place in the world.
[00:41.798]The Palace as it appears now was designed at a time
[00:44.790]when Britain was the richest, most powerful nation on earth.
[00:48.353]This was meant to reflect that.
[00:50.312]But for the first monarch who lived on this spot,
[00:52.758]it was little more than a quiet retreat.
[00:55.360]How things have changed.